Fancy being an ant eater? Insects are the latest addition to fine dining recipes

Fancy being an ant eater Insects could become a part of our daily diet…and even fine dining restaurants are getting in on the act

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UPDATED:

07:49 GMT, 21 September 2012

Next time an ant scurries across your picnic sandwiches, don’t brush it off . . . simply tuck in.

Rene Redzepi, head chef at award-winning Danish restaurant Noma, recently served ants at a 195-a-head lunch at Claridge’s in London.

Chilled with creme fraiche, they still managed to crawl across the diners’ plates before meeting their end.

We could all be eating insects soon as more and more nutritionists rave about their great healthy value

They are said to taste like lemon grass — ‘light and citrusy’ — and are extremely nutritious.

You might shudder at the thought, but it may not be too long before we’re all eating them.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation maintain that insects are a vital part of our diet to meet the nutritional needs of the ever-expanding global population, but they hardly feature in the diets of many rich nations.

The European Commission is reportedly investing more than 2 million into researching insects as a global food source.

Our friends in China are huge fans of the little bugs and can't stop raving about their nutritious value and even nutritionists over in Brussels have been crunching on dead locusts to promote their value.

Eating insects on hit show I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here is seen as one of the worst tasks

Rich in formic acid and other mineral traces, ants are effective at treating hepatitis-b and other immunity disorders.

The consumption of ants as part of a healthy diet or for medicinal reasons has been a long-standing belief for over 3,000 years.

And it isn't just China, more than 1,000 insects are eaten in 80 per cent of countries around the world- mainly those in the tropics.

Whether it is ants or larvae, many tribes in both Africa and Australia can't get enough, and both locals and travelers in Thailand sample delights such as the crispy-fried locusts and beetles regularly.